From bees to belonging: how purpose and community can heal young minds

In this blog for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, Ciara McCabe, Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health, shares how a beekeeping programme provided a positive boost to the mental well-being of young participants.

For many young people facing depression, one symptom hits especially hard: anhedonia, the loss of pleasure and interest in life. Anhedonia is more than just sadness — it’s a numbing of joy, a feeling of emptiness where passion and energy used to be. What makes it even more troubling is that it’s often difficult to treat with existing therapies.

But emerging research suggests that the antidote to this emotional flatness might not come from a pill or a textbook — it might come from meaning, identity and connection.

The psychology of purpose

In a recent study, our research team set out to understand the psychological pathways that underlie anhedonia in young people. We worked with 429 individuals, averaging 20 years old, with varying levels of depressive symptoms. Using path analysis, we examined how their sense of self, meaning in life, and prosocial behaviours (like helping others) related to their experience of anhedonia.

The results were striking: a stronger sense of self and more prosocial behaviour both boosted meaning in life, which in turn predicted lower levels of anhedonia. Over time, we found that sense of self continued to have a lasting positive impact via its effect on meaning.

In short, the more a young person felt they had purpose and identity, the more emotionally alive they felt. But what does that look like in real life, outside of the data?

The beekeepers of Slough: youth research in action

Through a recent Community Led Research Pilot developed between the University of Reading, the British Science Association and UK Research and Innovation, we were able to explore how these ideas play out in a community setting. In a partnership facilitated by Slough Council for Voluntary Services, we worked with Together As One, a youth-led charity based in Slough to co-design a youth participatory action research project, led by the youth group.

Here, 16 adolescents aged 14–18 joined a 12-week beekeeping programme designed to explore the link between pro-environmental behaviour and mental well-being. The sessions included hive management, honey extraction, and workshops on bee biology delivered by the Chalfonts Beekeepers’ Society.

Throughout the programme, we conducted semi-structured interviews and a focus group with 11 participants. Their responses revealed four core themes:

1. Curious beginnings: Many joined the programme out of curiosity, encouragement, or a desire to try something new  —  some with initial doubts or mild anxiety.
2. Well-being boosts: Beekeeping reduced stress, improved emotional health, created routines and helped build energy. The project also provided a platform for making new friends, though not without occasional challenges.
3. Environmental awakening: Participants gained a new appreciation for bees and the environment, but also highlighted barriers to adopting sustainable behaviours consistently.
4. Finding meaning: Most powerfully, the young people said that “stepping outside their comfort zone”, “trying new things”, and “forming strong social connections” were crucial to improving their mental health and creating a meaningful life.

This grassroots, community-led work echoed what we saw in the larger-scale study: meaning, identity, and connection are core ingredients in healing emotional numbness.

Why this matters

The beekeeping project, and our broader psychological research, provide evidence that mental health support doesn’t have to be confined to clinics or textbooks. It can come from real-world experiences that encourage young people to explore who they are, what they care about, and how they can make a difference.

Programmes like the one in Slough can be low-cost, inclusive and deeply impactful. They empower young people to co-create their own mental health journey, which is especially important in an age group that often feels unheard or underestimated.

For practitioners, educators, and youth leaders, the implications are clear:

• Continue to integrate identity work into therapy: Helping young people explore their values, reflect on their goals, and understand their emotional patterns can strengthen their sense of self.
• Build community-based programmes: Hands-on, purpose-driven initiatives like beekeeping (or any creative, skill-building activity) can enhance well-being.
• Promote prosocial behaviour: Encouraging volunteering, mentoring, or environmental advocacy not only benefits others, but also reinforces purpose and connection in the person giving back.

And most of all, we need to continue listening to young people — not just as subjects in research, but as collaborators in finding solutions.

The road out of emotional numbness isn’t always easy to find, but this work points us in the right direction. The evidence is compelling: when young people find purpose, build identity, and connect meaningfully with others, they don’t just feel better — they come alive.

The Bee Project is part of the Community Led Research Pilot, a programme that has been funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and co-created by the British Science Association (BSA), UKRI, the University of Reading, and Together As One.

Photos by Together as One.